New Roku Ultra (2024) fires back at the Google TV Streamer

Roku has announced the 2024 version of its premium Roku Ultra media player; boosting power, connectivity and interactivity.

The new Roku Ultra is 30 per cent faster than any previous Roku player and that new quad-core CPU is put to good use with more rapid app and content loading times, as well as more fluid navigation while you’re trying to decide what to watch.

The new CPU, which Roku says has been “purpose built for cinematic streaming”, also includes all of the expected support for A/V standards like 4K, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos. It’s the first time Roku has supported both of the major HDR standards.

There’s HDMI 2.1 built into this model too, which Roku says will unlock Quick Media Switching when used with higher-end televisions. This tech is designed to eliminate the blank screen delay that often appears when you switch between video inputs.

It wouldn’t be new hardware in 2024 if there wasn’t an element of machine learning built in too, and Roku reckons the new Ultra streamer will anticipate which app you’re going to open up next and cue it up for you.

The added speed isn’t limited to the CPU because the new Roku Ultra 2024 now supports Wi-Fi 6. You should benefit from faster performance, but also stability improvements if you’re operating loads of connected devices in the same space. You will need a compatible Wi-Fi 6 router to achieve these benefits, of course. If you’d rather avoid Wi-Fi entirely, there’s an Ethernet out too.

Roku is also debuting a new version of the Voice Remote Pro that offers a backlight and adds new buttons for Quick Launch (which includes personalised shortcuts to apps, commands and functionality) and the Live TV Guide.

There have been improvements on the operating system side too. There’s now support for Bluetooth headphones (previously you’d only be able to plug wired headphones into the remote). There’s also a remote finder button on the box itself.

The Roku Ultra (2024) is available in the US and Canada from today for $99.99. UK availability is still to be confirmed, but we can’t imagine it’ll be too far behind.